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JM:- One of my daughters is a 'liveaboard' and her boat has gas heating. Her whole boat is cosy in minutes and to date costs a great deal less than that to run.

Yes and I bet the condensation especially when it's really cold is horrendous. It's well known that burning gas creates a lot of moisture, the air may be warm but it's proper humid as well, not what you want on a boat, especially tupperware and rust bucket jobbies. We have a Mikuni blown warm air system a 'MY30' develops 3:5Kw by managing the heat outlets we can keep proper toasty.

It's consumption rated on full chat is :44 Ltrs per Hr. At £1:05 per Litre that means it's costing us 46:2p per Hr. To keep 'B.A' and the crew warm, I can live with that easily. On a Lads week the fuel invoice is divided by six of us so it's even cheaper at 7:7p per Hr. At those prices it can stay on 24/7 for me. Biggest plus - Its a dry system with little if any dreaded condensation.

Griff

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During the winter she moves into Beccles Yacht Station & plugs in. She has a greenhouse heater that works wonders. She has to be out of the YS beginning of April so is glad of the gas when there is a frost. Yes, a lot of condensation but it does the job!

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Where things get interesting is you would be perfectly within the law to buy a 40 gallon drum of red diesel and have it delivered to you the following day and only pay 5% VAT on it. You'd just have to declare to the company you bought this from that 100% of this fuel was being used for the likes of heating. What you do with it then on is up to you.

Now, I am not saying people should consider it, but let us face facts that once this is in your tank and since the onus is on you to declare its use (should you ever be asked by HMRC) who would know some of your 'heating fuel' was being used to drive the boat along?

Probably not a good idea!

I hear the fuel supplier declares sales of certain quantities to HMRC directly so sooner or later they could appear on your doorstep to check what you are doing with the barrels of fuel your having delivered!

Coupled with the massive faff of transfering it to the boat and hazards storing barrels of fuel on your property I can think of much easier ways to save a few quid!!!!

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I think we've frightened the OP off! Seriously I wonder if this thread could be split. The first dozen or so replies are relevant to the OP' s enquiry but then we start going off on one about fuel prices.

Just my 2p as usual

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Our 5.7ltr V8 burns about 3 to 4 lts of petrol an hour at river speeds, going over 1800 RPM is bad though as it eat petrol like mad, but then again going over 1800 RPM I would be going too fast so it never really goes over 1500 RPM. As for heating we have a separate diesel tank, 40ltrs, the Eberspacher burns about .25ltrs an hour, 4hours for a Ltr, and lovely and warm, in fact the mid birth gets too warm! The heater does have a 7 day digital progamable timer, as we use the boat all year round I even leave the heating programed to come on for an hour or 2 in the night to keep everything aired out while we are away. All though the winter we will probably get though about 60 ltrs including having the heating on about 18 hrs a day while we are on board. I wish the engine in my car was so economical :)

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I doubt the OP has been frightened off, but has just had his question answered and discussed, and has no further questions on the subject.

No, where I feel there is some "frightening off" to be done is with our own dear London Rascal.

Robin ! you naughty naughty man. As you know I make my own BioDiesel, and as such I am well aware of what the HMRC can do if you are found to be using fuel that has only had the lower rate of duty applied to it. The powers they have for investigating this if they even suspect you're being just a tiny bit naughty, are awe inspiring, and the penalties if they are found to be correct in their suspicions are more than just Draconian, they are eye watering.

Lets say you buy a barrel of red for pennies. It has not had ... lets call it "propulsion duty" levied on it.... You have passed your driving test and have bought a diesel car, which you are running on this red.

Your car will be confiscated, as will any other vehicle/vessel you own/part own that runs on heavy oil (diesel to you) These will be destroyed, plus you will have fines to pay. Big fines..... Bloody big fines.

But remember, you DID save yourself a couple of hundred quid. :)

Edited to add... I wonder if this is why Hirer yards don't like having their customers putting someone else's fuel in their boats. ... just a thought. :)

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Our 5.7ltr V8 burns about 3 to 4 lts of petrol an hour at river speeds, going over 1800 RPM is bad though as it eat petrol like mad, but then again going over 1800 RPM I would be going too fast so it never really goes over 1500 RPM. As for heating we have a separate diesel tank, 40ltrs, the Eberspacher burns about .25ltrs an hour, 4hours for a Ltr, and lovely and warm, in fact the mid birth gets too warm! The heater does have a 7 day digital progamable timer, as we use the boat all year round I even leave the heating programed to come on for an hour or 2 in the night to keep everything aired out while we are away. All though the winter we will probably get though about 60 ltrs including having the heating on about 18 hrs a day while we are on board. I wish the engine in my car was so economical :)

I'm never heard of a lady complaining about the heat mid Birth....

at lot of other things but not the Temperature...

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I have been on Herbert Woods Florida light for a week, it used hardly any fuel motoring along however the heating is a different story, so put a jumper on ! we are back on Olympic light in a few weeks, now that likes a bit of fuel

I had a Carousel from Richardsons a couple of years ago in the early season. I used 180 litres in a week and had to pay them 60 quid on top of my 150 quid deposit. Dual heaters were on a lot. Worth every penny.